Tells the story of two men, Abu Jandal and Salim Ahmed Hamdan, whose fateful encounter in 1996 set them on a course of events that led them to Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden, 9/11, Guantanamo, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Direction
Poitras builds tension through silence and Abu Jandal's unreliable narration.
Editing
Juxtaposes Gitmo footage with domestic scenes to devastating effect.
Director
Laura Poitras
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Laura Poitras was already on a government watchlist when filming; this doc and its follow-up, Citizenfour, made her a surveillance target.
Hamdan v. Rumsfeld (2006) was the first Supreme Court case to challenge Gitmo military commissions—this film captures the human cost of that abstract legal victory.
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